Golf practice device

ABSTRACT

A golf ball practice device includes a horizontal arm having inner and outer ends. The inner end of the arm is mounted in a support which permits the arm to be elevated and lowered to adapt same for use with golf club irons and woods, respectively. A pair of plates are hinged to each other and secured to the outer end of the arm. A coil spring is provided to bias the plates toward each other and maintain the plates substantially parallel. The upper plate is secured to the outer end of the arm by a stud having a pointed end and extending in a direction away from the lower plate. A golf ball is secured to the lower plate. The pointed stud is adapted to be inserted into the ground when the arm is in a lowered position and the device is used with golf club woods.

United States Patent 1 Arkin GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE [76] Inventor:Theodore E. Arkin, 32 00 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Ill. [57] [22]Filed: Mar. 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 233,274

[4511 June 19,1973

Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo Attorney-Max R. Kraus ABSTRACT A golfball practice device includes ahorizontal arm having inner and outerends. The inner end of the arm is mounted in a support which permits thearm to be elevated and lowered to adapt samefor use with golf club ironsand woods, respectively. A pair of plates are hinged to each other andsecured to the outer end of the arm. A coil spring is provided to biasthe plates to ward each other and maintain the plates substantiallyparallel. The upper plate is secured to the outer end of the arm by astud having a pointed end and extending in a direction away from thelower plate. A golf ball is secured to the lower plate. The pointed studis adapted to be inserted into the ground when the arm is in a loweredposition and the device is used with golf club 9 Claims, 7 DrawingFigures astrnununnanuwnunuuwnvnwn.

GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objectsof this invention is to provide a golf practice device with a captiveball supported on an articulated joint which may be used in the home oroutdoors for practicing with iron clubs and may be used outdoors forpracticing with driver clubs.

Another object of this invention is to provide a golf practice devicewith a captively held golf ball wherein the golf ball may be positionedto be supported adjacent or in close proximity to the ground or the baseso that an iron club may be used, or it may be positioned in an elevatedposition of the approximate height of a golf tee so that a driver clubmay be used to strike the ball.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the practice device set up for use insidethe home, for use with an iron club.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing in dotted lines the position of the hingeand the golf ball when struck.

FIG. 4 is a section view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the. device set up and arranged forpractice outdoors for use with an iron club. a

FIG. 6 is a view of the device set up and arranged for practice outdoorsfor use with a driver club.

FIG. 7 is a rear end elevational view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 4 inclusive, the device is shown setup for practicing with an iron club inside the home.

The device or unit is generally indicated at 10 and may be used inconnection with a supporting stand generally indicated at 12, such asshown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, where it may be used inside the home or thelike. The device or unit may also be used with ground anchoring means,such as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, wherein it is used outdoors.

The supporting stand 12 comprises a flat base 14 preferably ofrectangular shape, the underside of which is covered with a rubbermaterial 16 which when the stand is positioned on a floor or carpetsurface S will tend to keep the device in a fixed unshiftable positionrelative to the floor surface, particularly when the ball is struck.

Suitably secured to the base 14 by fastening means 18 is an L-shapedmetal upright or post 20, preferably of flat stock, having a flatvertical portion 2!. Detachably mounted on the vertical portion 21 ofthe upright or post is the device or unit 10 which comprises avertically extending channel-shaped member 22 provided with spacedchannels 24 and an open back. The channel-shaped member 22 is slidablypositioned on the vertical portion 21 of the upright to be supportedthereby. Suitable affixed to the channel-shaped member 22 is ahorizontally extending arm 26, the inner end of which is threaded as at27 to be received in an opening 28 in the channel-shaped member 22. Apair of nuts 29 and 30 are secured to the arm 26 to secure the arm tothe vertical channel member 22. The opposite end of the armis shaped toform a looped end or eyelet 32.

Supported on the eyelet 32 is an externally threaded stud 34 having ahead 35 at one end and a tapered or pointed end 36 at the opposite end.An articulated joint or hinging means generally indicated at 38 issecured to said stud. The articulated joint or hinging means comprises apair of hinge plates 40 and 42 with the upper hinge plate 40 providedwith spaced curved offset ears 43 and with the lower hinge plate 42provided with spaced upwardly curved ears 44 which interfit with theupper ears and are hingedly connected thereto by a pin or pintle 45extending through the alined ears. A coil spring 46, best seen in FIG.6, is centrally positioned on said pin 45 with one end of the springengaging the upper hinge plate and the opposite end engag ing the lowerhinge plate to normally urge the hinge plates towards each other to theposition shown in full lines in FIG. 3 where the hinge plates normallyextend horizontally and parallel to each other.

The upper hinge plate 40 has a central opening through which the stud 34extends, with the head 35 of the stud positioned against the undersideof the hinge plate 40. The stud extends through the eyelet 32 and issecured thereto by a wing nut 48. The lower hinge plate '42 has acentral opening through which extends an ex- ,temally threaded pin 50,to the opposite end of which is fixedly attached a golf ball 52. The pin50 has a head 51 and a locking nut 53 is secured to the pin to lock itto the hinge plate 42.

With the unit or device 10 mounted, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the golfball 52 is positioned to extend below the horizontal arm 26 and the golfball is positioned in close proximity to the base 14. In this positionan iron club may be used to strike the ball, which would cause the lowerhinge plate 42 to pivot or hinge and position the ball to the dottedline position of FIG. 3. After the ball is moved to this position andthe club is moved away, the lower hinge plate 42 will due to the spring46 return to the full line position of FIG. 3 where it is positionedhorizontally and parallel to the upper hinge plate 40. The golf ball 52is held captive to the unit and the player may practice his iron clubshots.

FIG. 5 shows the unit heretofore described removed from the supportstand 12 and removably anchored to the ground. In this connection thedevice or unit 10 is removed from the upright or post 20 by sliding thechannel-shaped member 22 off the post. A ground anchoring spikegenerally indicated at 55, best shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, is insertedin the channel upright 22. The anchoring spike has an upper slottedportion 56 which is slid past the rear end of the horizontal arm 26' andis positioned between the end nut 29 and a bossing surface 21 on thechannel member 22. The slot 56 terminates at its lower end in an edge57. The nut 30 is tightened to limit the upward movement of theanchoring spike relative to the channel upright 22. The opposite end ofthe anchoring spike is pointed as at 58 and is inserted in the ground G,as shown in FIG. 5. It will thus position the golf ball 52 adjacent theground similar to the position shown in FIG. 2 when same is used foriron clubs for indoor practice. In the FIG. 5 illustration it ispositioned for outdoor practice also with iron clubs.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the device 10 positioned for outdoor use for use withdriver clubs. In this position the unit 10 is inverted from thepreviously described position and the anchoring spike 55 is insertedinto the channel member 22 through the opposite end of the channelmember until the edge 57 of the slot 56 engages the inner end of the rod26 which limits its upward movement.

The device with the anchoring spike attached is then supported in theground G by inserting the spike end 58 into the ground. The frontthreaded stud 34 is likewise inserted into the ground to provide supportand anchorage for the device at the front and rear thereof.

The hinge member or articulated joint 38 may be rotated so that thehinging action can take place in whatever direction desired. This isaccomplished by loosening the wing nut 48 and rotating the hingingmember and then tightening the wing nut. This is done preferably beforethe device is inserted in the ground.

The device as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is in anchored position for outdooruse with driver clubs where the golf ball in normal play is positionedon a tee above the ground surface, in contrast to that previouslydescribed where the ball is positioned adjacent to or on the ground orfloor surface.

The device is therefore good for indoor and outdoor practice and 'forusewith iron and driver clubs. At all times the golf ball is held captiveto the device.

What is claimed is:

l. A golf ball practice device comprising a horizontally supported arm,a hinge formed by a pair of connected hinge members secured at the outerend of said arm and supporting a captive ball, spring means operativelyconnected to said hinge members to normally bias said hinge members tomaintain said captive ball in a normal position so that when the ball isstruck by a golf club the ball will be held captive to said hinge andwill move in a forward direction by the hinging movement of said hingenot to exceed and said ball will v return to its normal position by theaction of saidspring means.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the ball is a golf ball.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the ball is positioned sothat it is contiguous to a ground surface.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the horizontally supportedarm is supported on a stand having a base and in which the ball ispositioned contiguous to the base.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 in which the device has means forbeing imbedded in the ground.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the ball is supported aspaced distance from a ground surface.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the horizontal arm isconnected at its inner end to a vertical member which vertical member isselectively and detachably secured to either a supporting stand or to ananchoring member which is anchored in a ground surface.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7 in which the stand has a base and anupright post with the vertical member detachably secured to the post.

9. A device as set forth in claim 7 in which the vertical member isdetachably secured to an anchoring spike which is removably imbedded ina ground surface.

1. A golf ball practice device comprising a horizontally supported arm,a hinge formed by a pair of connected hinge members secured at the outerend of said arm and supporting a captive ball, spring means operativelyconnected to said hinge members to normally bias said hinge members tomaintain said captive ball in a normal position so that when the ball isstruck by a golf club the ball will be held captive to said hinge andwill move in a forward direction by the hinging movement of said hingenot to exceed 180* and said ball will return to its normal position bythe action of said spring means.
 2. A device as set forth in claim 1 inwhich the ball is a golf ball.
 3. A device as set forth in claim 1 inwhich the ball is positioned so that it is contiguous to a groundsurface.
 4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the horizontallysupported arm is supported on a stand having a base and in which theball is positioned contiguous to the base.
 5. A device as set forth inclaim 4 in which the device has means for being imbedded in the ground.6. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which the ball is supported aspaced distance from a ground surface.
 7. A device as set forth in claim1 in which the horizontal arm is connected at its inner end to avertical member which vertical member is selectively and detachablysecured to either a supporting stand or to an anchoring member which isanchored in a ground surface.
 8. A device as set forth in claim 7 inwhich the stand has a base and an upright post with the vertical memberdetachably secured to the post.
 9. A device as set forth in claim 7 inwhich the vertical member is detachably secured to an anchoring spikewhich is removably imbedded in a ground surface.